New Apple Software Update breaks System Voices in Mavericks! Edit: Or not?

[Wowfunhappy]

Edit: Well that was weird. See comments below.

So I was greeted with a surprise last night on my Mavericks machine—a software update notification!

I thought, that's weird, let's see what's going on!

Some background: When I originally set up this machine, I downloaded the "Enhanced" versions of the Samantha and Tom System Voices (System Preferences → Dictation & Speech → Text to Speech). I think they sound pretty good, as far as these things go.

Now seeing updates available, I figured, "Oh, nice, I guess when Apple updates their voices, the changes still get pushed back to Mavericks too!" Big mistake. After installing the updates, I found that these two voices didn't work—nothing happens when I click play.

If not for the fact I'm fairly technically-adept, there would have been no way to fix the problem. I had to delete the folders Tom.SpeechVoice, Tom.Compact.SpeechVoice, and Samantha.SpeechVoice from /System/Library/Speech/Voices/, and then reinstall the older versions, which I'd previously downloaded from Apple's servers for safekeeping (luckily, I back up all this stuff because I'm paranoid the servers will go offline someday).

Apple, I don't expect support for a seven-year-old OS, but if you haven't tested a piece of software on a particular platform, pretty please don't push it out to everyone on that platform as an update.

 

[maverick28]

That's odd and it's the first time I learn that Apple offers voices updates via MAS and that it updates them separately. I always assumed you install them as a part of the system install and then update from the pane in System Prefs. I downloaded Samantha a month ago that way but was never offered such an update in MAS. I guess something crippled MAS update mechanism to scan system folders and offer you components you had installed by then and hence, the issues. Not to say it's not weird, though.

 

[Wowfunhappy]

downloaded Samantha a month ago that way but was never offered such an update in MAS.

Well that's interesting! And I assume Samantha actually works? Did you download her before or after March 13?

 

[maverick28]

As per System Info report I downloaded Samantha on March 25 of this year (so not a month, but 2 weeks ago), it's listed as "Voice Update" and the version is 3.0.5. I also downloaded it for Lion to use with one of my AppleScript scripts that I utilise on all of macOSes in a consistent way with just this voice: that was also later than March 25, and I recall the download process wasn't without a hiccup when I got the failed install alert but eventually it installed successfully from the second time. In High Sierra Samantha is in the default set of system voices that's why I decided to have it in the other OSes.

 

[Wowfunhappy]

Okay, so 3.0.5 is indeed the version that's broken in Mavericks.

So my next question is, can you actually use her? For me, Samantha 3.0.5 won't actually play anything (in Mavericks), and indeed, if you try to select her in System Preferences you just get a system chime instead of the "My Name is Samantha" preview, sometimes followed by her disappearing from the dropdown menu.

 

[maverick28]

Yes, I can. Watch

 

[Wowfunhappy]

Huh, that's totally nuts! So Apple didn't release a totally broken update.

I wonder why it worked for you though... that's so weird!

 

[maverick28]

Huh, that's totally nuts! So Apple didn't release a totally broken update.

I wonder why it worked for you though... that's so weird!

What if you delete Samantha, restart and then try to install it again but not from MAS?

 

[Wowfunhappy]

Still can't get this working on my own machine, but I confirmed it works in a VM.

That makes me feel better—so Apple didn't totally break everything, it's just some odd machine specific issue.

 

[maverick28]

Still can't get this working on my own machine, but I confirmed it works in a VM.

That makes me feel better—so Apple didn't totally break everything, it's just some odd machine specific issue.

I can upload the folder with the voice as zip and share the link, if you wish.